Going My Own Way

A couple of weeks ago on the Whitehorse Inn, Michael Horton stated, "If you think that you have the right to live however you want to live and believe whatever you want to believe, then you are not a Christian." I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Christianity is about dying to self, which includes your rights, plans, and beliefs. In order for there to be new birth, the old me has to be put to death. Being a Christian means being born AGAIN.

Within the Christian Church, there is a never-ending debate regarding deeds versus creeds. What is more important, practice or theology? Horton's statement addresses both sides of this coin. In truth, both sides are necessary and essential; however, the point of Horton's statement is that both sides must be brought into submission to authority. We must submit our way of living and believing to the authority of God, who has revealed himself in the Bible, and the leadership of our local church (although the authority of the church is only a derived authority).

In today's culture, the idea of submitting ourselves to any authority is unappealing. Sermons discussing submission to church authority or wives submitting to husbands are never popular and rarely heard at any of the mega churches. For instance, you will never hear Joel Osteen preach about church discipline, except maybe in opposite world.  In fact, few churches even practice church discipline anymore, which is an indication that the church leaders care more about being liked by the congregation than they do about loving and shepherding the congregation.

The ideas of "going my own way" or "choosing my own path" cannot coexist with Christianity. As Christians, we are a chosen people, a body, and a family. This is true of the global church, and also has application on the local church level. God never intended for a Christian to be a loner, which means that we must submit to those in authority over us. This is true in a family: children are under the authority and guidance of the parents, with the husband as the head. This is true in any form of national government: citizens must obey the laws created by whatever authority is in place. Why do we think the church should be different from the rest of God's created order? In fact, God is the one who created authority.

Furthermore, a wise man will not only accept, but embrace this authority and guidance. I need to daily look to the Scriptures as my guide for what to believe and how to live. I also need to look to the Christian leaders, especially the appointed leadership of my local church (elders/pastors), for guidance. The bottom line is that God obviously knows what I should believe and how I should live; he created me and everything else. God knows what is true; he is the standard for truth. It would be stupid for me to think that I don't need to study the Scriptures to determine my theology and practice.

Also, there are many men who are much wiser and have studied more than me. They can help me to understand what the Bible says to be true in the areas of both theology and practice. Why do you think seminary students read books written by much older and wiser men? I've yet to have a seminary professor assign a book written by myself or one of my classmates.

The idea that I am the best judge and authority for what is true and right is one of the most damaging lies that Satan has ever told. It is sad and frustrating that so many professing Christians believe this lie, especially when they could believe and live according to the truth of Scripture. We have got to stop following the lead of people like Oprah and Deepak Chopra. Any spiritual guide who tells you that you should be your own spiritual authority is an instrument of Satan. Anybody who claims there are multiple paths you can take to get to God or enlightenment is a tool of Satan. Anyone who points you to anyone other than (or in addition to) Christ is wrong, and is being used as a pawn by Satan.

The authority for the life and belief of a Christian is the triune God, as revealed in Scripture, as conveyed in a heritage, as made real in experience; both corporate and personal (the order is crucial). This order of authority lists itself out in this way: at the top is God, then the Bible, Christian heritage, the local Church, and at the bottom is the individual.

(1) God is the ultimate authority.

(2) We know about God, because he chose to reveal himself to mankind through his Words: the spoken Word to the prophets, the living Word in the person of Jesus Christ, and the written Word of Scripture. Practically, for the church today, this means we look to the Bible as the recorded revelation of the prophets, Jesus, and Scripture.

(3) We look to the Godly heritage of those men who have come before us. This means that we believe that there is something to be learned from great Christian leaders throughout church history.

(4) The authority of corporate experience means that we seek guidance form our local church, primarily the elders/pastors.

(5) Finally, we look to our own experience and opinions. Notice that our own expertise comes last in the line of authority. This is because we are all idiots, at least some of the time, if not most of the time. As Matt Chandler has stated, we all look back at ourselves from ten years ago, and think that we were dumb.  Why do we think that we will draw different conclusions of our current selves ten years from now?

In conclusion, authority is from God. It is a means of grace for the believer. Structured authority is for God’s glory and our benefit. Trying to “go your own way” is walking down the path of destruction. God may allow you to proceed down that path, but you probably won’t like where it leads.